Where Do We Go From Here?
by AnEndlessSacrafice
Summary: The greed of man is never ending. With the death of the forest spirit, The forest is left defenseless and its fate is tied with Iron Town. Alliances must be made, but can the battle be won? Dont be shy, let your presence be known and Review!
1. prologue

**Notice to all those who read this! This is my idea of what happened after Princess Mononoke ended. I wrote it for my entertainment as well as yours. This is the prologue to my fic to intro you all to what will be happening in the later chapters. Please read, review and enjoy. **

Reconstruction 

"Ashitaka, where is he I wish to thank him." A beautiful middle-aged woman said to the people of her town around her.

"Milady, No one knows what had happened to him after the Nightwalker fell." A slightly younger woman rose and spoke up. "We aren't even sure he is still alive." There was a distinct trace of sadness in her voice as she said those words. That young man, she thought, had saved the lives of all those people in the town now, even after how they had shot him for doing what was right, and not letting hate blind him.

"Well then Toki, we must find him, whether he is alive or dead. We owe him that much."

"Yes milady," Toki responded and turned to the other people of the town to speak to them but someone else had already begun.

"You heard her ladyship, we have work to do. A tall man with a shaved head and a 5-foot kitana in his hand stood out from the crowd and spoke to the others.

"I will lead the search party to go and find the stranger. I will need twenty men to volunteer and meet me at the barracks. Everyone else here go to our defenses and try to rebuild and fortify the walls."

"Keno, I am leaving you in charge. Build up some palisade walls where the gate used to be and place riflemen on what's left of the walls." The tall man leaned closer to the short balding man in the blue and white kimono. A grim look appeared on his face. "We don't know how many of Asano's men are still out there so we need to be ready if they choose to attack us again." He spoke these words at a whisper so not to instill panic. "Keep your eyes on the hills until we get back."

Keno nodded and turned to some of the other men standing by. The tall man was beginning to make his way to the barracks when Toki stopped him.

"Gonza, make sure that you bring back Ashitaka soon. If any of Asano's men are still out there we are going to need him." Gonza nodded back in response.

"Don't worry, I won't fail again," he said as he made his way to his destination. For a moment she wondered what Gonza had meant by that but she just shrugged it off and made her way to the gate to start working.

Yet Another Betrayal 

May this town rot in hell, thought the man on the far hill overlooking Tataraba. His forces had been decimated to a weak third of what he had originally had when he set out to attack Eboshi.

"My lord, we have captured the traitor."

Good, thought the feudal lord, now I can have some answers.

"Bring him before me." Asano had failed at his mission to take this town of outcasts but he would have succeeded if not for circumstances outside of his or even the emperor's control. If Asano didn't either find out who was exactly to blame for his folly and have a scapegoat or gather the necessary information to finally take the town, he would surely lose his head by the emperor's orders. His last hopes rode on this old monk who had betrayed him. Also, if he gave well enough information, he might consider letting him live, for a while.

"Well Jigo, it would seem that all of your plotting and scheming has _finally_ got you into a bit of trouble." He smiled an evil smile as he approached the old monk.

"I bet you are wondering why I have kept you alive this long after you have betrayed me." Jigo could not even respond to the samurai. He kept his head low to the ground, trying not to show the fear in his eyes.

Seeing his weakness Asano continued. "Well, can you guess why you are still alive?"

"Well my lord," he stammered trying to remain calm and give the right answer to his question. "I would assume I am still breathing because of your infinite greatness and merc…uhgh!" His statement of praise was cut short when an armored forearm struck across his face and he fell to the dirt. Blood began seeping through the newly formed cut in his forehead.

"No Jigo", he said coldly, "you are still alive because I want your death to be slow and excruciatingly painful to the end. Also I need you to tell me the events of the last week after our meeting before reaching Tataraba. I need to know why Eboshi is still alive, why you failed to retrieve the Forest Spirit's head, and more than half of army is dead because of that creature's life-sucking body!"

Those last words were spoken with such force that Jigo was actually afraid that he was going to die right there. As fast as he could, he raked his mind for any material that would get him "off the hook" with this samurai's grudge. This idea might work to save him.

"My lord," he said with all of the conviction that he could muster. "I know from seeing with my own eyes that the lady of iron town is badly injured and more than half of her men are dead having fallen to the Boar tribe in battle and mostly all of her defenses for the town are decimated." Asano continued to give a cold, emotionless stare into Jigo's eyes but he still continued on with his what Jigo thought was a good idea.

"If you desired to, even with you slightly weakened force, you could take the town from her and her people."

"As for not retrieving the Head, the Mononke had a part to play in that." At that part, Asano began to chuckle. Quickly realizing his mistake, Jigo continued on with the story. "She was aided by her wolf-god brothers and her mother, Moro, along with a strong young man, who bore the mark of a demon, increasing his strength. Together they returned the head before sunrise and after the sun rose, the nightwalker fell onto the town."

"So the summary of your story is," Asano said through his chuckles, "that your incompetence left Lady Eboshi alive, if not barely, and your mission to capture the head of the Forest Spirit was foiled by a silly girl, a couple of rabid dogs and a "Demon" of sorts." His chuckling continued as he turned his gaze back towards Iron town. Without averting his gaze he began to ask Jigo more questions.

"So Jigo, you would suggest that I attack Iron Town now, while they are weak, correct?"

"Yes, my lord," wondering if his ploy worked. There was no way that Asano had known that He had returned and had been following him since his return to the island.

Asano turned to face Jigo, anger written all over his face.

"Even with Hirohito and his forces moving up from the south, who will be _here_ in less than 2 months?"

Jigo's face went pale.

"You really thought that I didn't know did you?" Asano asked, knowing that the answer was on Jigo's stunned and fearful face.

"The reason why I wanted your help to get the iron here was so I could defeat him when he had returned to Honshu and then my rise to power would be complete."

"Besides," Asano continued. "How could that fatherless idiot and his little brother could even think of beating me with the rabble that he has mustered. Their vengeance will never be complete, so in short, your last act of betrayal has been foiled. Guards, take him to the cliffs and throw him off, his men first."

Jigo had one last thing up his sleeve but to him it didn't seem right to use this information that was entrusted to him.

"Wait!" Jigo cried, half-hoping that his words would fall on deaf ears.

Asano turned slightly, giving Jigo one last chance at saving his life.

"It's about that young man, the one with the mark." Jigo hesitated for a moment. What he was about to do would surely condemn the boy but Jigo didn't want to die, and neither did his men. I must do what I must do, Jigo thought. I am surely going to hell for this one.

"That young man, he was an Imishi prince, I swear it. He came from the East somewhere and needed to find a cure for his curse. If he still breaths, he would have surely returned to Iron town."

The truth paid off for Jigo for a change as Asano turned fully to speak to him.

"Well Jigo, today you get to live along with your men. Tie him up, we will be moving out shortly."

No one saw it but as he was dragged away, a single tear fell down Jigo's cheek.

An Imishi Prince! Asano thought to himself. If this is possible, I cannot allow him to live. He must die before Hirohito and Nobutasa can make it to these mountains or all my planning will be ruined and Hirohito might succeed with his plan.

What Jigo says is true. I know that. My men have reported a young man who came from the East three weeks ago in some random village I was raiding for supplies. That's where I found Jigo and him and I arranged our pact. When the villagers revolted to my presence, a lone warrior rode through on a red elk, used stone arrowheads and brutally killed two of my men. The same boy was seen the other day when I attack Iron town. A lone boy on the same elk killed three more men on his own after his mount was wounded and he was on the ground. One samurai survived to tell me this story, before I beheaded him. If I am to live I must kill this boy, this Imishi prince.

Asano's gaze then turned back to Iron town.

Parting ways

"I understand," said the Imishi warrior. "You will live in the forest and I will go back and help rebuild Iron town. Yakkul and I will visit you whenever we can. I will always be near."

The young wolf girl smiled as he said this, making his heart skip a beat inside his chest. She turned her wolf brother around and began to ride back to the shadow of the forest. As she rode across the freshly grown tall grass, she whispered under her breath, Please keep your promise Ashitaka.

She gave one last look back so fast that Ashitaka barely noticed. "Farewell San," he said, knowing that she couldn't hear him and turned to mount his great red elk. He saddled himself onto Yakkul and began his long ride over the mountain and along the river back to Iron town. "Come on Yakkul, I am sure they are wondering what had happened to us."

As he made his way to the riverbank, Ashitaka sighed mournfully to himself. With every step closer to Iron Town, the farther away from San he became. He loved the wolf girl with every fiber of his being, but being that they were from two different worlds, he wondered if feelings and love were enough for the two of them. Did she even love him? Was it possible for her to love a human, one of the very people she was raised to hate? Despite his best efforts, he could not remove thoughts of her from his mind.

Even if there was love between them, could the world accept them? Could Iron town or the forest accept their bond and would any attempt at this love be cursed from the start. Maybe his feelings must be carried with him for as long as it takes for either San to forget him or him to forget San.

Well now, all this thinking and I didn't realize how much time had passed, thought Ashitaka as Iron Town had come into full view.

Well I guess all that will have to wait he thought, as he could begin to see what had remained of Iron Town.


	2. Chapter 1

**Well now people, the first chapter is up so now I will clarify a few things from the prologue. First off, I am sorry about one or two mistypes that I had on the work. I had rushed getting this first part up so I did a spotty job on proof reading. Forgive me for those mistakes; I will be doing a better job on the editing and proofreading from now on. Also, I had placed a little hint to two of my characters that will be playing key roles in the later chapters. Lastly, those of you who wish to see more of San, don't worry, she will coming up in the next two chapters. **

**PS. Can any one start to guess what I am planning for this whole Fic? If you do, send me your ideas, I want to hear some feedback. So Here's Chapter 1, enjoy. **

Chapter 1

Hero…or villain?

The destruction to the town was not as bad as it had looked when the Nightwalker had fallen onto the town, but still the damage was enough. The main gate, most of the towers and at least a third of the wall on the riverside was missing. The damage to the houses was so great Ashitaka wondered if he should return at all.

He thought, for a moment, that he might not be welcome in the town that had shot him in the lung, by accident of course. The townspeople might still be a little sore about that whole ordeal, hitting Eboshi in the stomach to subdue her and helping San escape. Most of the women were on the side of town's lady, so that treatment of her might have gone unforgiven. However, before he could think of turning around a familiar face was seen at the top of the partially demolished high wall.

"Ashitaka!" a woman 5 or so years older than him yelled from her spot o the wall. She wore a bright red kimono that shown brightly in the sun and a white bandana around and over her head.

"I can't believe that you are alright, we just sent out a search party to go and look for you about an hour ago. Hurry up and come on in." She then looked down to her husband and changed her tone. "Go and get his cloak and saddle you useless oaf!" Ashitaka heard a quivering voice say, "Yes my little flower."

Ashitaka chuckled and called out to the woman at the wall. "Toki, I am glad to see that you are well. When the ooze from the nightwalker's body passed over the town I had feared the worst for you and Koroku."

Toki smiled, if only for a moment. She appreciated Ashitaka's concern and understood that herself, Koroku and many others would not be alive if not for his bravery and willingness to sacrifice himself for the town that had nearly killed him. However, her thoughts drifted back to her close friends and relatives that had been killed in the wake of that black ooze. She turned to look back at the town and noticed that most of the town had now gathered at what had remained of the gate as Ashitaka approached.

Any previous belief that the townspeople would dislike him was washed away when he had once passed through the gate. A sea of friendly faces and cheers surrounded him as he walked through the area where the gate had been.

As Ashitaka dismounted Yakkul, a large, balding man wearing a blue and white kimono walked up him. "Young man, you are the most resilient human I have ever met in my life. It's good to have you back."

Ashitaka recognized him as the man who had sat next to him when he ate supper for the first time in Iron Town. This man had also helped him deal with Jigo's men at the edge of the forest.

"It's good to see that you are well also," said Ashitaka. Before he could say or ask anything more, someone in the crowd had begun to yell. "Gonza has come back!"

Ashitaka stood in his place as the captain of the guards had come through pass and walked quickly towards him and the other man.

"Well now stranger," he said in his mocking tone of voice. "It seems that you saved me one hell of a walk. My group and I saw you as we had just passed over the top of the far hill and realized that you were coming back here."

"Lady Eboshi would wish to speak with you in private, you know where to go." He bowed his head ever so slightly towards him and before Ashitaka could respond, Gonza turned to speak to the other man next to Ashitaka.

"Keno, come with me to the barracks, we have important matters to discuss."

Keno and Ashitaka both bowed to each other and began to walk away. One of the men took Yakkul by the reigns and asked if Ashitaka would like him to be put in the stable and cared for. Ashitaka said yes and made his way towards Lady Eboshi's garden on the far side of the town.

Ashitaka took notice of the grass and flowers that had sprouted on the forge and the houses as he made his way towards the lady's hut.

As he passed through the gate he nodded to the usual guard who sat with a rifle and a spear underneath an umbrella. For a moment, Ashitaka thought that this was a different guard from before, mainly because Ashitaka could see his face had no trace of leprosy on it. After taking a second longer to look he noticed that the man still had bandages around his arms and head, so this was indeed one of Eboshi's lepers. Good, thought Ashitaka, I was not the only one removed of a curse.

He then crossed the little bridge that led into Eboshi's hut and began to hear two women talking.

"Please milady you mustn't strain yourself, you are badly injured," said a slightly familiar voice behind the curtain over the door.

"It's ok Nara, I must rise to greet our guest," said Eboshi, hinting that she knew who was out outside the doorway.

Ashitaka took his cue and walked into the hut. "Good afternoon ladies." He said and bowed before both of them.

"What are we going to do?"

"Asano and what's left of his army have camped out behind the far hill overlooking Iron town," Gonza said to the men inside the barracks. "For now they seem to be packing up their supplies to move out of this land. However we do not know for sure if they intend to leave or to attack us again in our weakened state."

Then Keno spoke. "If the samurai leave these mountains, they are more than likely to return to finish us off after the upcoming winter has passed."

"That is our other concern as well." Now the captain looked to the other men in the room. "We also must be looking to sustain our selves during the winter months. Asano won't be able to attack us during the winter and if he retreats, he won't be able to strike until after the winter months so there cannot be any slacking off."

"Keno, I am appointing you my second in command here. I am placing you in charge of gathering our supplies and building up the walls and defenses. I will see to gathering workers and soldiers to defend the walls. Also I will see what our firearm situation is and give you as much gunpowder and rifles as we can spare."

"I will also speak with the boy about him lending us a hand with all this work."

With that the captain of the guards left the other men of the town to their assigned tasks. As Gonza walked out of the barracks, Keno couldn't help but notice the change of character in the tall captain. Now he was acting more like a strong leader instead of the loudmouthed antagonist that he was known for being. He smiled to himself and turned to his men and began their tasks that Gonza had set for them.

Eyes over the Town

On the top of the far hill a different samurai stood at the top of the hill where Asano had once stood. A bloody 5-foot Kitana rested on top of his armored shoulders. He had been staring at the town wondering what he was going to do next.

Asano had given him charge of the infantry that pushed the women of Iron town back to the inner wall. After the whores had retreated and his attack from the river had failed, the samurai captain had ordered his men to fall back for the night. Asano didn't like that course of action especially after the black ooze from the Nightwalker had decimated most of the troops that he had been given charge of.

Now instead of killing him, Asano had made him stay here to find a way to kill the 'Imishi Prince' that Jigo had spoken of. Asano said that Tojiro was not allowed to leave these mountains until his task was complete.

I will probably die here, thought the young samurai captain.

His task involved waiting with his 87 cavalry, 20 of which where the best archers in Asano's army, for any sign of the Imishi warrior.

As he stood there he realized that the boy he was here to kill was also an ally of Wolf-Girl who had lived in the forest with the wolf-gods. If he decides to visit her,he will have to leave the safety of the town, he thought to himself.If not we will just attack the town itself while they are weak.

He turned to his remaining samurai. "Well men we are moving out. Pack light, we are going to the edge of the forest to wait for our prey." His samurai complied with his orders and mounted their horses and began to move towards their destination.

His samurai only knew that their target was a young man dressed in blue and riding a red elk they didn't know _who _the boy was or how much his death mattered to Lord Asano. The other samurai didn't care, mostly because the other guards that heard Jigo tell his story where beheaded for "safety precautions." Only Tojiro knew of the boy's heritage and what would happen to them if they failed.

I just may get to live after all, he thought. All I need is for that wolf girl to lure out that troublesome boy out of his fortress so I can kill this "Imishi Prince."


	3. Chapter 2

**Well now, there is no doubt that very few of you know where this is all going. Haha, my task is done! Seriously folks, now with chapter two is up I am going to start getting intense. Please review after reading; I would like to know what you guys think this is my first fic, you know.**

Chapter 2

The New Clan Leader

They had been running for at least an hour at full sprint to make it back to their den. A young girl rode on the back of the younger of the two wolves as they made their way thru what had remained of the forest. As they reached the cave that they resided in, the girl on the wolf slid off, landed gracefully onto the ground and began walking towards the entrance of their home.

"Can you two keep watch, I would like to be alone for a few moments inside." Her voice made the statement sound more like a plea than an order.

"Yes San, go inside and rest for a while, Reno will keep watch and wake you if there is anything wrong," the older Brother said to his human sister. He then turned to his younger brother and gave him a nod, signaling that he must go off alone. After he watched his younger siblings enter the den, he turned and began to run off into the forest.

As he ran towards the pool where the forest spirit once dwelt, thoughts drifted towards his mother.

Why did you have to die, he thought as he ran. You were more capable of guarding this forest than I can ever hope to be. You taught me as best as you could but I am not ready to look after San and Reno on my own. Would you think that I am ready to lead our clan now?

Now being the eldest remaining member of the Wolf clan, all of Moro's responsibilities fell onto his back. When it seemed definite that Moro would die, she named her eldest son her successor. It was now his job to guard the forest, as it once was hers.

I need to see you one last time, he thought as he neared the pool.

When he reached the pool, he began to search for the scent of his mother. He lifted his nose into the air and caught the scent of what he was looking for.

He began to move to where his mother's corpse now lay at a slow walk, as if not to disturb the silence that was in the air. Then he found her.

Lying not far from a skeleton that closely resembled a boar, a headless one laid on its left side near the pool. The head was not far from the body to the right and the now leader of the wolf clan approached his mother's skull.

For a moment, it was nauseating to see the skull of his mother, but for her honor he would not show the smallest amount of apprehension as he paid his final respects.

"I will make you proud of me, mother," he said, the only creature that had made a noise for miles. After disturbing the silence, the wolf felt as though he should not linger in this place and then something shining in the sunlight caught his eyes. The rifle that Eboshi had carried into the forest yesterday lay 3 feet to his right, and suddenly the young leader of the wolf clan was filled with more sadness and rage. He took the horrid human weapon in his mouth and was about to crunch it into dust when something sharp had stuck him in the side of his mouth. He howled in pain as he tossed the weapon with great force into a nearby tree. The rifle shattered and set free a short sword that was stuck into the wooden part of the gun.

Ashitaka's sword, he realized as he came over his pain in his mouth. That human had tried to stop Eboshi from killing the forest, he thought as he stared at the blade. He had also saved my life after the battle with the humans when the boars charged the mountain. I had been trapped under the body of a large and heavy boar and this boy and several other humans who had helped him free me and saved me from certain death. That boy had also saved San when the forest spirit was killed. He had convinced San to help him return the Spirits head but it was not in time for the sun had begun to rise when the head was returned. Despite his partial failures, he had at least tried. He is not like those other humans, who know only destruction and greed.

I cannot hate that boy, he thought. He did more than I could have done to preserve the forest, and maybe he did more than any of us could.

As he finished thinking to himself, he carefully picked up the short sword in his teeth and began to trot back to his den.

As he reached the cave he saw Reno laying on the ledge in front of the entrance to the cave overlooking the forest for miles. The elder one walked past him to see San napping in the corner with her fur blanket wrapped around her body. He stood at her feet and rested the blade there. As he lifted his head back up, he noticed that she had been crying.

The wolf knew that humans did this when they were either afraid or filled with sadness and grief. He had previously thought that San was too far from human to exhibit these emotions, but now he guessed that he was wrong. The death of our mother must have wounded her deeply, he thought. Maybe seeing Ashitaka soon would lift her spirits.

He was about to lie down next to her when his younger brother, Reno called to him.

"Rude, come over here."

Rude did as his brother requested and walked out to the ledge to see what he wanted.

"What is it?" he asked in a grumpy voice.

"The other humans are on the move. About 400 or so of them are moving eastward through the forest, back the way that they came. What should we do about it?"

Rude thought for a moment and then looked over at San. He then looked back to Reno and answered.

"We will accompany San to the town where Ashitaka said he would be and she will inform him of his enemy's troop movements."

Stunned, Reno retorted back to his older brother his idea.

"Surely you cannot be serious, they will kill her and us on sight if we go anywhere near that human town."

"They won't try that for Ashitaka will not allow them to. We can trust him."

"We can't trust any humans, or have you forgotten what our mother had taught us!" snapped Reno angrily.

"I just visited where her body now rests younger brother, don't you dare say that I could forget _anything_ that our mother taught us," Rude said baring his teeth. "However, She trusted him to protect San, so I say we can trust him to help us. I am now head of the clan, so I say what we shall do. Besides _those_ humans are far more dangerous than the ones we have dealt with before. They will return after the winter has passed and come to destroy the human town _and_ our forest so we must look to make allies. Do you understand little brother?" He said, barring his teeth to help get his point across.

"Yes."

"Good, it is sunset now, we will leave at dawn. Sleep now, I will watch from the top ledge." With that, Rude jumped up to the ledge where his mother sat many a time and took his watch over the forest.

In the Hut of Eboshi…

"Good eveningAshitaka, it's good to see that you are well."

Ashitaka moved the curtain out of the way and entered the room that was being used to take care of Lady Eboshi after her injury from Moro. Before he could say anything else, the other woman in the room caught his eye.

The other woman, who also seemed to be one of the former lepers, was tending to Eboshi's right side. She was one of the ones who had helped Toki and the others fend off the samurai who had attacked while Eboshi was out to kill the Forest Spirit. Her bandages had been left on her hands and head but that was all that Ashitaka saw wrong with her. The disease that had once crippled her had left no trace of its self on her fair skin, that shown brilliantly in the sunlight. Her dark black hair hung out of her bandage as she looked up to meet his gaze. For a moment, Ashitaka was entranced by this girl's beauty until Lady Eboshi turned to speak to her.

"Nara, you may leave and take a rest for a while, I wish to speak with Ashitaka alone."

She turned and responded yes milady and started to walk out of the hut. As she passed Ashitaka, he bowed before her. After he bowed, Nara blushed and hurried out of the hut.

While Ashitaka was wondering if he had done something wrong, Lady Eboshi turned to speak to him.

"I do not believe that she has ever seen a man with most of his clothes off. Forgive her shyness Ashitaka. At least your lack of clothing shows that your curse is gone. I am afraid to say that your shirt is ruined," she said, nodding in the direction of Ashitaka's blood stained blue kimono.

With her making that statement, Ashitaka for the first time all day he noticed that he wasn't wearing his blue kimono. He didn't realize that the only thing that he was wearing other than his tattered pants, were his torn blue sleeves that only covered his arms.

Now slightly embarrassed, Ashitaka began to blush.

"Yes it does. I am sorry milady, I forgot to get some more clothes after I had returned."

Before he could continue, Eboshi had cut him off.

"Ashitaka, please don't apologize too me, I am neither worthy or deserving of treatment like that from you." As she said this she stared at the ground. I cannot bring myself to meet his gaze, she thought.

"Please, don't say anything," she said in a pleading sort of tone. "I wanted to see you again so that I could thank you for all that you have done but also to apologize to you for what I have done and ask you for forgiveness," she sobbed.

Ashitaka's stunned face couldn't be hidden as he looked at her. Eboshi was pleading for forgiveness, and that was something that he thought she could never do, especially not to any man that she had once deemed to be foolish in his beliefs.

"I was wrong," she continued, "to kill the Forest Spirit, to kill Nago, and to destroy this whole forest. I directly caused all this death and destruction. Greed and hatred blinded me to what you believed, and you were right Ashitaka to try to live with the forest in peace. I should have listened to you sooner. You truly saw with eyes unclouded. I don't deserve to live any more." Tears started to flow down her cheeks as she finished confession to Ashitaka.

"Eboshi," Ashitaka said in his warmest, soothing voice. "You may be the closest person responsible to all of what had happened here, but you must remember one thing. You are human, and with that goes with the fact that you are an imperfect being, just like me. Your sins will stay with you for as long as you will live, just as mine will. I know now from experiencing the events in these mountains that we as human beings can do one of two things when we realize that we were wrong. One, we can suffer in our misery and count the days until we have to pay for our sins or," he paused to if Eboshi was listening to him at all. He was pleased to see the she had stopped crying and slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. "Or, we can try to do our best to make amends and repair the world that we nearly destroyed. I know that I would rather try to make things right instead of doing nothing. You must remember Eboshi, with one arm or two, this town still needs you dearly. Toki, Keno, Gonza and the others will need you to lead them and to learn to live in peace with the forest and begin to make repairs to all the things that were destroyed. I swear to you, as long as you are willing to let me, I will stay to help you in any way I can."

"Thank you Ashitaka, I must say that you have knowledge beyond your years. You must have made your people, who ever they are, very proud." She smiled warmly at him

"You are very welcome milady." Ashitaka responded with a smile on his face. Good, he thought. She is going to be all right.

Just as they had finished speaking, a knock was heard on the door of the room. It was Gonza.

"Excuse me milady, if you would allow it, I need to speak with Ashitaka now."

"You can Gonza," she said, and then turned back to Ashitaka. "Thank you again."

Ashitaka bowed deeply and then turned to follow Gonza out of the hut. It was night now and Ashitaka was beginning to feel tired.

After they exited the hut, Gonza began to speak.

"Before I begin to inform you of our situation here, I to would also like to thank you for saving mine and Lady Eboshi's lives. I am truly grateful for all that you have done for everyone here. So now that that's out of the way, I also need to ask you for help."

Once again, Ashitaka was stunned at someone's sudden change in character. The first time that he and Gonza had spoken to him, the only things that he said were words of distrust and later that night, he had threatened to kill him. Now he was being treated as though Gonza trusted him deeply, like someone who lived in Iron Town.

"What is it that you need?" Ashitaka asked.

"We know that there are more samurai out there and even though their strength is diminished, they could hurt us very badly if they attack. They might even be able to take the town. What I need from you is to help prepare our defenses and defend the town when it will become necessary. All of the men here trust youand it would greatly boost there moral if you stand by us. Also, I picked up you bow and last arrow from Keno." He said as he handed him the bundle he was carrying. "I also took the liberty of refilling your quiver, no charge of course."

"Thank you," Ashitaka said and bowed. "I will stand watch tonight as my first duty to Iron town." With that he hurried off to the main gate to man his post.

**Well, what did you all think? I know it was a little long so I decided to make it two parts instead of my usual three. Each chapter will usually follow this set up of Two or three different character focuses. Mind you, all of this is going on at the relativesame time, just so no one is confused about the time frame that is going on here. Expect Chapter 3 MUCH later from now. I am going to be on spring break and I have much partying to do and I will need even more time to recover from it. HaHa! R&R plz. Thnx.**


	4. Chapter 3

**So it begins. With the dawn of a new day, a new opportunity arises for all those looking to change their fate. Some fight for good, others for evil, but all will make their choices here and now. So here's Chapter three. For all those wanting to see some good battles, bear with me. This is where the action starts. Tell me what you think. **

Chapter 3

Can They be trusted?

Sunlight filled the cave, which faced the east, and San begin to open her eyes as the rays shown on her face.

'Morning,' she thought. 'Wow, I've been asleep for at least 12 hours then.'

She stood up, stretched and yawned before reaching for her other fur pelt. As she bent down to get it she noticed a sword laying at the edge of her bed.

'Ashitaka's sword,' she thought. 'Does that mean he is here?' Filled with joy she picked up the blade and ran towards the opening in the cave. As she reached the ledge overlooking the forest, she sensed a presence behind her. Expecting to see Ashitaka, she saw her eldest brother, Rude, lying attentively on the top ledge.

"Good to see that you're up at the break of dawn. The way you were sleeping I thought that I was going to have Reno sit on your head before you would wake."

"Is Ashitaka here?" San asked hopefully.

"No, he is not. Why do you ask? Do you wish he was?" Rude inquired.

"No, of course not." She said, slightly annoyed with her brother's accusation that she wished that a human were here. 'But I do wish he were here,' she thought to herself. "I was only curious because I found his sword at the foot of my bed," she lied.

"Of course you were, San." Before she could make another comment, Rude continued speaking. "I found his sword last night at the pool of the Forest Spirit, and I brought it back because I thought it would be best to return it to him when we visit him today."

"What are you talking about? You want to go see him?" she asked with a slight amount of excitement, but mostly surprise in her voice.

"Last night, Reno and I observed the other humans that attacked the town on the river the other day. They retreated eastward the way that they came previously, but Reno and I believe that some stayed behind. Their stench still lingers somewhere in the forest. So I decided that we should go to the town in which he is staying at and inform him of the movement of his enemy's troops."

"Ashitaka is at the human town, we should not go there. I believe that is unwise to go to our enemies fortress," she said, forgetting her place in the clan.

"Regardless of your personal feelings towards my decision, the decision still stands," Rude said sternly. "As I told Reno, we must look to make allies with the humans, and I believe that Ashitaka is the best human to ask first."

"We cannot trust the humans right away, we must first see that they can respect and stay out of the forest, before we look for allies."

"The other humans who wear the metal from the mountain cannot be beaten by the power of the forest. They are a bigger threat to the forest than that horrid woman and her underlings are. The only way we can defeat them is with _their_ help."

"Are you sure that this is a good idea?" San asked apprehensively.

"That kind of question I would expect from Reno, not from you. I thought that you had grown to trust Ashitaka, and that you thought of him differently than you would other humans," said Rude.

"I do," she protested, but then changed her tone. "I just didn't think that you would go to him so willingly."

"The Forest Spirit chose to revive him from near death, he saved you from the town of iron and saved me from death as well. Our mother approved him for you as your mate, and it his her judgment I know that you trusted the most. After he had saved me, I ran with him to come and save you and in the few moments I had spent with him, I saw his heart and his intentions. He cares for you and for the forest, as well as the humans. His loyalty resides only to true peace. That is why he had also helped return the head of the Forest Spirit at great risk to his own life, to keep the balance. However at the same time he will do what is necessary to protect what he loves." San was beginning to blush as Rude continued to speak of Ashitaka. "If all that isn't worthy of my trust, then I truly do not know how he could ever be."

His tone then changed to a more serious sound. "I also want you to understand that now that I am the leader of the clan now and I will also respect you and your judgment, but you must also realize that I will make the final decisions. Now that our mother is gone I will need your help greatly to protect the forest."

"Alright, I understand. It's just after all that has happened, I don't feel we should trust all of the humans so soon. Besides, it is not Ashitaka that I do not trust. Still, I think that allying with the humans after all that they did to the forest and our clan is not very wise."

"I know that we cannot trust all of the humans and I don't know if we ever will, but I do know that our fate is tied to theirs. We must make the first move and get them to understand this fact. Do you agree?"

"Yes." San decided to change the subject. "Where is Reno now? I assume you have him doing something of use." San was worried about her other older brother, for he was the one that she had always been closest with, although she extremely close with both of her brothers.

"I have him scouting the surrounding area for humans, don't worry I told him not to attack any, only to gather information on them and their location and return."

"What would you have me do, Rude?" San asked.

"Ready yourself for travel. Grab your spear and knife, as well as Ashitaka's sword. If we run into these "Samurai", you will need to be ready, but I forbid you to kill any of the town of iron's humans unless provoked. We don't need the war to start again so soon. This is more of a 'diplomatic trip', than a raid, understood."

"Alright," she said sighing. The idea of not killing a single human other than Ashitaka was unsettling. However she must do as her older brother said, he was leader of the clan now. She went inside to grab her spear and knife.

'Do I really want to see Ashitaka so soon, after all that has happened,' she thought, playing with the crystal dagger that Ashitaka had given her? 'I know that he is trustworthy and he cares for me but it is my feelings that I am not sure of. I know I said I care for him but I still have my doubts about how I feel about him. My heart skips a beat every time I think about him but he still looks like one of the people I have been fighting for so long. Still I guess if I can look human and be a wolf, he may not be like the evil ones as well.'

'Oh why am I worrying,' she thought. 'He will be glad to see me, won't he? I know that I will be glad to see him. It has only been a day since we parted but it feels like an eternity. Maybe Rude is right about needing help to save this land, but why must it be the humans we must ask? Other than Ashitaka, I will never trust or even help them all. However, I guess that helping Ashitaka would also help the people of the town. Why couldn't he just live with me in the forest, she thought angrily. Then it all would work out.' Quickly, she began to gather her wares for the journey.

Once her fur cape and ceremonial mask were on, she picked up her weapons and made her way out of the cave. As she reached the outside of the cave she could see Reno running up through the brush.

"Rude, we may have a problem," he said panting.

"Why, what is it?"

"Although I cannot see them, I smell them. There are at least 80 or so humans between here and the town. Because there is only one way to the town from the forest, we are more than likely to run into them if we follow through with our plan."

Rude pondered this new development for a moment. After coming to his decision, he spoke.

"We will still go through to the town, no matter what is in our way. We will just have to move faster than those humans can even think." With that, he stood up and jumped off the ledge he had been laying on the whole night.

"Lets go."

San nodded her head and tucked the sword in her belt along with her stone knife and hopped onto Reno's back. Once on her mount, she pulled her clay mask over her face, tossing back the fur over her shoulder and began the flight to the town with apprehension and excitement in her heart over soon being able to see Ashitaka.

The Hunters become the Hunted

I wonder how long I will have to wait for this wolf princess, thought Tojiro. She better make all the time I spent waiting here worthwhile as well.

Tojiro and 47 of his men had been keeping their eyes on the forest and on the iron works all night long. The other 40 were waiting hidden by the riverbank, not making a move until Tojiro signaled them to attack. His plan wasn't exactly fancy, but it would more than likely get the job done. The latter half of his samurai had moved up too the river bank close to the town during the night and had concealed their position quite well. If the Mononoke decided to leave the safety of her forest, Tojiro and his men would drive her right into the hands of his hidden samurai. After killing her wolf-god brothers, he would then take her hostage, baiting the Imishi to come and save her.

This is my last chance to reclaim my honor, thought Tojiro as he sat attentively in his camouflaged sleeping area. After all that has happened, I am still alive, he thought. I have done so much killing. Why then is god still protecting me, even when I don't deserve it? Still, I wonder if I will survive this task.

Tojiro had always had his doubts about the campaign that Asano had been planning, but he was a soldier, and one that would follow his lord's orders no matter how 'Un-ethical' they seemed. He had been trained to be a great warrior since his early years of life by his father. Strength of the warrior ran strong through his veins. After his father died, he had nothing to stand for except his own survival. Since then he had been making a living off of the lords he had served under, Asano was just the current one. He had nothing left, except his honor and his life.

I would rather die than lose the only thing that I have left that matters to me, thought the samurai. Now knowing what all this is for I really don't mind doing what I have to do. Whether it's one man's reasoning or the next, there will always be battles. However some fight for better reasons than others. If Hirohito captures this town, _he _will use this iron to build a greater army and throw the land into chaos, but Asano won't. He will try to keep order in the west, and rebellions like the one this 'Eboshi' woman nearly started will be less likely to happen. Eventually this whole island will become under the strong leadership of his lord, and peace will reign with an iron fist and there will be no more wars.

Asano will return to these mountains to retrieve the iron that he had nearly captured with at least half of his _real_ army, thought the samurai. All I have to do is kill one young boy before he arrives after winter and I will be allowed to live.

It's only a little past an hour after sunrise, but it feels much longer than that, thought Tojiro. Then he heard a sound coming from the forest.

This early, he thought as he strained his ears and eyes for the wolf-girl. He then caught a glimpse of her moving past an open area of land near the cliff on the far side. Good, he thought, I won't have to wait much longer. Tojiro signaled to his group of samurai to prepare to move out and they began to mount their horses quietly for the up-coming chase.

The Fire Within

As the sun rose over the mountains and light engulfed the green town, Ashitaka roused himself and rubbed his sleepiness out of his eyes. I guess taking a guard post without any sleep was a bad idea, he thought.

He stood up, stretched, yawned and started to move around his cramped post. He was used to staying up late into the night because of the time he spent with Ji-san back at his former village. Still he had little rest in the last few days and it was beginning to take its toll on his mind and body. Ashitaka began to feel depressed as he thought of his homeland to the east. I wonder how they are now, he thought. He then looked over to the East, where the sun was now passing over the forest and the mountains.

His tower was the only remaining tower on this side of the town, and it gave a full view towards the forest and the mountains to the east, that is why Ashitaka took this post in the first place. He wanted to at least feel like he was looking in San's general direction. To him, looking towards the forest made him feel that San was not so far away. Then, as he finished stretching out, he heard the ropes on the ladder behind him move.

"Good morning Ashitaka," said a man as he climbed up onto the platform where Ashitaka stood.

"Good morning Keno," said Ashitaka, remembering this man as the one who Gonza had called to what remained of the barracks yesterday afternoon. "What brings you to here?" he asked.

"I came to relieve you of your post young one," replied Keno "You have been up here with little sleep and after all that you have gone through you deserve some. What's left of my home is where you can rest for the day."

"Thank you, I am very grateful."

"No young man. It is I who am grateful." Asitaka could tell what this man was about to say before he opened his mouth, but Ashitaka wanted him to speak his mind.

"I can tell you that I speak on behalf of the town that you are like our savior. If it wasn't for all that you did for us, we might all be dead. Even though many of our people died in this last week, it was not your doing. You tried to help us see the error in our ways and bled for us and we still realized it too late. The price we would have had to pay would have been much greater if it wasn't for you." Keno looked towards the town, which lay in utter dismay. Still, he smiled. "It doesn't look so bad with all the flowers."

The sun was still rising, basking the entire town in its light. This made the dew on the flowers shine as the rays of light shown on them. His eyes began to glaze over. "My wife would have liked to see it."

"Thank you for your kind words, and I am sorry for your loss," said Ashitaka.

"Don't be, she died years ago," said Keno.

"I would like to stay and watch the sunrise for a while, my rest can wait a little while longer."

"Of course, here have some water. I am sorry, food is a little short," Keno said as he passed him a leather flask.

Ashitaka graciously accepted the cool refreshment and drank his fill. Food would have been nice but that can wait, right now he was parched.

For the next hour, Ashitaka sat quietly with his friend and watched the red sun rise until it fully passed over the mountains to the east. As it finished, Ashitaka rose and walked over to Keno to give him back his flask.

"Keep it, you'll probably need it more." Ashitaka bowed and slung the flask over his shoulder and proceeded to make his way down until Keno let out a cry of surprise.

"It can't be, look!" he said, pointing out over towards where Ashitaka was gazing earlier. "It's the Wolf Girl!" Keno was about to hit the plate of iron that was used for the town's alarm system when Ashitaka grabbed his arm.

"Look at what's following her," said Ashitaka coolly.

Keno looked just behind the two wolves and the girl to see fifty samurai on horseback pursuing her across the open field. "Samurai! Look there, there are more by the shore." More samurai on horses sprang from hiding near the beach to cut off the wolves. "Forty or so must have hid there during the night. Those bastards. They can't attack the town now, too many people will be hurt. We are not ready for an attack. What are we going to do?" Keno was beginning to panic for he knew even this many soldiers could seriously cause more damage to the town. His spirit sunk as he realized that there was almost nothing he could do. Then Ashitaka spoke.

"Alert the town of the attack," he commanded. "I am going to try and buy us some time." Then, Before Keno could respond, Ashitaka grabbed his bow and quiver, sprinted to the edge of the tower and jumped over the rail onto the rampart of the wall. He then leapt over the side of the wall, sliding feet first down the tall palisade. As he neared the ground, he kicked of the bottom of the wall, lessening the impact of the landing. He hit the ground softly, which was odd despite the height he fell at, and then began running across the ditch where the bridge used to be to get a better shot at the oncoming horsemen. As he neared the field he could hear the clanging of iron behind him, which meant that Keno was doing what Ashitaka asked. Hopefully, he thought, they will be ready for the attack.

I must protect San, was the first thought that entered his mind as he began to draw an arrow from his quiver. He called San's name and waved his hand hoping that she would get the message. She responded be raising her spear and pointing her two brothers in his direction. He notched the arrow as quickly as he could and began to look for a target.

I don't know what I can do, he thought, but I have to try something. The samurai have the numbers and the lead on San, so I have to try and redirect their attention on me. Hopefully she will get to me before they do and we can try to lead them away from the town.

As the samurai came into range, Ashitaka took aim at the one of the samurai that hid near the river. However, as soon as he drew the arrow back to its full length preparing to fire, Ashitaka felt something strange in his arm. The sudden familiar burning pain in his right arm made his arm quiver and his heart sink.

He had previously thought the mark to be gone but now it seemed that it was causing his arm too shake, making it difficult to fire.

"The mark won't let me fire," exclaimed Ashitaka. 'Does this mean that if I fight, the mark will return with full strength? He only thought about the repercussions of fighting these men for only a split second more. He then looked up at the galloping wolves with San on one of their backs. As soon as he did, an arrow struck the wolf that wasn't carrying San in the hind leg, making him stumble. Still, despite the wound, he kept his composure and continued running towards Ashitaka, who then realized what he must do. They were only moments away so he had to act quickly.

"I cannot let anything happen to San or her brothers," he said and began to take aim at the samurai once more. Despite the uncontrollable shaking and the burning pain in his forearm, he regained a bead on his original target and let the arrow fly.

**What does the burning in Ashitaka's arm mean? Has the demon mark returned? Will he be able to save San and her brothers from being killed in the cavalry charge of Tojiro's Samurai? One can never see the future but one can have a good idea of what might come to pass. Just remember, no prophecy is unchangeable and destiny is never revealed until the right time. Have faith that those that you trust that they will succeed. Thank you all for reading, R&R plz.**


	5. Chapter 4

"**When the priest comes to read me the last rights, take a look through the bars at the last sights. At a world that has gone very wrong for ME!" Hallowed Be Thy Name, Iron Maiden, Greatest song in the world. I might see them in Dublin this year for Christmas. Well now I know it has been a while, but I want to let everyone know that I like the positive feedback I have been getting. I really appreciate it. So don't be shy and leave a review, good or bad. Well, for those who have been keeping up with me, here is where I hope to get into some real action, something I have really wanted to get into since I began this fiction. So lets begin.**

**By the way…LETS GO METS!**

**Oh yeah, the Disclaimer: I don't own anything Mononoke or Ghibli related, blah, blah, blah…**

**Chapter 4**

**Charge of the Samurai**

'Well I guess I underestimated their speed,' thought Tojiro. When the wolves had emerged from the forest, Tojiro and his men were ready for them but the speed of the animals was just to great. As soon as the wolves noticed the samurai, theyhad broken thru their lines at full speed and made their way towards the town. Forty-seven samurai warriors were just not enough to stop the forest gods. Unless his other samurai in hiding could slow them down there would be little chance of success for his mission. Tojiro and his samurai pursued their prey across the landscape towards Iron townbut slowly began to lose ground with the wolves.

Just then, the other samurai emerged from their hidden location and began to move into position to cut off their targets. Still, the wolves were moving too fast. They would blow right thru his men's line just like they did before and make it too the town.

'Damn, we'll never catch them like this,' thought the young samurai leader.

He then pulled out his bow and drew an arrow. 'I have too at least slow them down,' he thought and then to aim at the rider less wolf. Tojiro was a skilled warrior all around but this shot would be difficult even for the most skillful warrior. He took a deep breath and like so many times before, balanced himself on his horse and took aim ahead of the animal god by a foot. He released and the arrow screamed to its target before it connected with the wolf god's hind leg. Tojiro smiled at his deed as the wolf was forced to slow down after nearly falling to the ground. Surprisingly, the great beast-god kept its balance and continued running for the town. 'That should do the trick,' thought Tojiro. 'They won't leave behind there wounded comrade so they will have to slow as the reach my men. Why are in such a hurry to reach the town? I thought that they were sworn enemies of Eboshi,' wondered Tojiro, turning his head towards Iron Town.

Now, looking in the general direction of where his prey was running, Tojiro noticed a lone figure standing on the hill, not far from the far wall of the town.

'It can't be,' thought Tojiro. 'Would he really come _out_ of the town to help them?' Sure enough, the answer came a moment later in the sound of an arrow that struck one of his samurai next to him in his un-armored neck. The arrow killed him before he fell to the ground, his body trampled by the other horses. 'It looks like my assumption of what kind of man he is was correct.'

In the next few moments, the lone warrior fired three more times, each shot striking one of his samurai, the ones that where originally hiding by the river, in their open areas of their armor. Two died from strikes to the neck and one unlucky bastard was struck in the eye. It became obvious to Tojiro that the Imishi was aiming towards the front of his hidden group, trying to slow them down.

His plan worked and the wolves managed to escape the trap that they would have surely would have captured them if not for that boy.

'That is surely him. Well my job was just made easier.' Tojiro secured his bow over his shoulder and drew his sword. The five foot long blade was an ominous sight as he pointed out with it towards his true target.

Noticing that the samurai were bearing down on them, the young man hopped onto the back of the slightly wounded wolf and then he and the wolf girl rode towards the forest, away from the town and Tojiro's in-coming samurai.

'Damn,' he thought, 'if they make it into the forest it will be difficult to track them. The one wolf is wounded and now carrying a rider so maybe I can catch them.' Tojiro called out to the samurai that were hidden and re-formed his men into one large group

Tojiro once again pointed in the direction of the prey heading towards the forest and his samurai began to pursue with him. Tojiro turned back towards his samurai and spun his sword in the air, signaling to his archers to ready their bows and arrows to begin firing. Doing this while riding this fast would be extremely difficult, but an accurate shot wouldn't be needed if all of his archers fired in one volley.

As the riding archers each notched an arrow to their bows the two wolves and their riders split up.

"Forget about the girl, fire at the boy!" he cried.

His archers complied and began to fire at the young man as he raced. Arrows fell all around them and it seemed their prey would escape until an arrow struck the wolf in its left side. Somehow, Tojiro noticed, the wolf managed to keep its pace and made it into the forest without falling.

'So they think they can get away,' Tojiro mused. He slowed his horse down to a slow gallop as he neared the edge of the forest. Resting his sword onto his shoulders, he looked back towards his men who were beginning to lag behind.

"Come on, we have them on the run!"

"But sir," said one of his archers. "That is the forbidden forest, we will surely be killed for trespassing in there."

"I'll kill you if you don't come with me so MOVE IT!" Then Tojiro turned his horse towards the forest and slowly began to trot into its dark depths.

'I've heard stories about this place but all that doesn't matter to me,' thought Tojiro. 'If I want to live, I have to have no fear and I must do what I am ordered to do.'

The rest of his men exchanged worried looks before following their leader into this dark and ominous place.

**The Shadows Move**

"We have to stop here," growled the wounded wolf. "I cannot go any further."

Immediately, Ashitaka slid off of the wolf's back and onto the ground. Ashitaka looked around. They were in the middle of a large clearing. He turned and saw the arrow wounds in the wolf's body. "Here, let me see your wound."

Just as Ashitaka's hand neared the arrow that was impaled into Rude's side, the great wolf growled and shot him a menacing look.

"I know how to treat arrow wounds, if you don't let me look at it you could injure your self even more."

"Listen boy, I have had far worse injuries in the past. It will take more than a couple of arrows to kill me." Rude stopped growling and spoke calmly now. "Besides we do not have the time," he said looking towards where they just came into the forest.

"I guess that you are right. By the way, why were those samurai chasing you and what where you doing so close to the town?" Ashitaka asked.

"We were coming to inform you that the army of humans that had attack that Eboshi woman's town were moving back east the way that the had come. Also to inform you these other humans had remained behind for some reason. Why they stayed behind seems very obvious to me now," Rude said lower his eyes as he stared intensely at Ashitaka.

"You don't think that they were after you and your clan," said Ashitaka. 'It makes sense, they changed their attack from San to me as soon as they saw me.'

"Why these humans want to kill you eludes me, however I believe that you are better than these _other_ humans and you have already shown to be trust worthy after defending us from those samurai, so I believe that a truce between us would be a good idea."

Ashitaka nodded. "By the way, what is your name? Ashitaka had just realized that he had not gotten the names of the other two members of the wolf clan. If I am going to call him something, it might as well be his real name, Ashitaka thought.

"My name is Rude, Leader of the wolf clan. Well now that we have introduced our selves what do you expect to do about our current situation? I won't be able to carry you around any more."

'Damn, those samurai our right on our trail, thought Ashitaka. 'Rude is wounded and we won't make it very far. We are probably outnumbered at least thirty-to-one, if all of them went after us. I hope San is all right.'

"Can you call San and see where she is, maybe she can help us?"

"That is a foolish idea boy," snarled Rude. "Not only would that put San in-danger, but we would be pretty much telling those samurai where we are. Don't worry about San. She can take care of herself, remember she is a member of the wolf tribe, and we don't die easily."

That thought didn't comfort Ashitaka. Still, Rude was right. 'If I want to survive, I have to focus on what's in front of me.' He clutched his arm, which had been once cursed by a demon. Since the fall of the forest spirit, the mark had left no trace of its existence except for the purple scar on his right hand. Before Ashitaka had fired his first arrow at the samurai, the remnants of the mark began to burn. However, after the first shot had connected with a samurai's throat, the pain had subsided. 'I'm afraid to look,' he thought as he rubbed the area where the mark once resided. "I can't give up now, after all I have made it thru, I won't die here.' Just then, Ashitaka looked up and suddenly realized that what was in front of him was their key to survival. 'The forest is dark up ahead, and the trees are narrow.' Ashitaka, being a prince of the Imishi, was not merely trained how to fight but to understand every aspect of battle. From an early age, along with his physical training and weapons mastery, he had studied countless battles from ages long ago. His studies allowed him to know how and where he should fight.

He looked at his quiver and saw about a dozen and a half of arrows left. 'Maybe we can get out of this alive.'

"Tell me is there any place up ahead where the path becomes very narrow and dark?" asked Ashitaka.

"Yes, it's a little farther up the trail, why do you ask?" By looking at the boy's face, Rude realized his plan and his mouth curved to what appeared to Ashitaka as a smile.

"Can you still run a little?"

"More than enough to do what we have to do."

"Good then follow me."

The two then sped off into the forest to prepare for their plan.

'They couldn't have gotten far,' thought Tojiro. 'The wolf was wounded.'

His men and Tojiro had been trotting along the winding paths thru the forest and had come to a fork in the paths. Tojiro looked down and then got off his horse and began to inspect the area. He touched the ground where there seemed to bee two sets of footprints in the ground, one human, the other a wolf's.

"They went this way," he said after determining the area in which they ran too.

"Captain, are you sure that this is a wise idea, traveling deeper into the forest?" asked one of his subordinates.

"If you question my orders again, I'll cleave your head off in one strike. My word is final," growled the samurai captain. "We cannot let them get away, and Lord Asano will have us tortured and killed if we fail. Letting them escape now is not an option. We will follow them down this trail, be ready for anything." He then got back onto his horse and led his men deeper into the forest.

The company of samurai had ridden for only a few moments until they reached an area in the path that was narrowed by thick, tall trees. Because the leaves and the branches were so thick here, very little light passed thru the canopy overhead. 'Why would they have come this way?' thought Tojiro as he followed the trail of blood made by the wolf. 'It doesn't make any sense to go this way, the paths in this area would become to difficult for a wounded wolf to travel thru.' Then suddenly, movement was heard in the brush behind him. Tojiro and his other lead samurai turned to see a horse with no rider.

'No, I've led us into a trap!'

"Ambush Formation! Archers in the center." Tojiro started to look towards the trees and saw to his dismay, a silhouette of a person with a bow in his hands. Tojiro realized that the archer was aiming towards him, so as the creature in the trees fired its arrow, Tojiro was already moving out of the way. However, the arrow struck the exposed part of his armor, just bellow the arm.

'At least he didn't kill me,' Tojiro thought to himself as he broke the arrow that had struck his torso. "Archers fire at the trees!"

His archers complied and fired at the area where the Imishi warrior-demon was hiding but their skill was no match for the lone warrior's speed. The arrows narrowly missed their intended target as the warrior swiftly leaped from tree to tree. As the samurai prepared for another volley, the wolf that had killed one of their riders appeared again. This time, the wolf-god tackled the man that was just to the right of Tojiro. The archers turned and fired at the Beast god but again their arrows were just to slow as they missed their mark by inches.

"Tighten up the formation, pike men on the perimeter and archers focus on the trees and fire a volley at wherever the next shot comes from." After he had finished barking his orders at his men, three more arrows were fired consecutively at the mass of samurai, and three more of the now frightened archers fell to the ground.

'Damn those bastards to hell! They are going to pick us off one at a time and we are in too narrow a space to really defend ourselves.' Thisattack of the wolf appearing, then the Imishi, continuedfor three more minutes until Tojiro realized what he had to do. 'We cannot stay here or we are all going to die.'Then Tojiro turned to see two more of his companions fall over dead from arrow wounds to the neck and chest.

"Fall back! Fall back to the edge of the forest!" However the order came to late for one of his men as his screams could be heard in the brush as he was dragged off to his doom.

"Yuy, you and you men stay with me, we are going to buy the rest of the mentime to get out of here.Troops, save you arrows and fall back!" cried Tojiro as he watched several of his men frantically firing at the trees not even knowing if that was even that was thedirection in which the target was. After the surviving members of his war party retreated to the edge of the forest, Tojiro and his men that remained dismounted their horses and readied themselves for close combat.

Tojiro now stepped away from away from his group of men and readied his sword. 'Now, lets see what you can this god of beasts can do.' As if the wolf had heard his thoughts, the great beast burst from the thicket and charged at the samurai.

'Damn,' thought Ashitaka as he notched his last arrow. 'I have to make this one count.' From his spot in the trees, he could see the entire path and all of the samurai that were on. He took his aim at one of the men with a bow and drew back his last shot but stayed his hand when he saw Reno burst recklessly out of the brush straight at the man with the long katana.

'That fool, he's going to get himself killed.' Ashitaka then shifted his aim towards the samurai on foot and fired, but his swing at Reno was already in motion. Time seemed to slow down as the samurai's sword closed in towards Reno's neck, but just before the stoke fell Ashitaka's arrow met its mark into the left side. His sword jerked away from Reno's throat, but sliced his front right shoulder instead. Reno hit the ground at full speed while the samurai tried to get back onto his feet.

Now with Reno on the ground, not moving, Ashitaka had no other choice but to fight on the ground. He ran on top of the branch he was perched on, and then jumped into the center of the small group of samurai.

With his short sword, he made quick of the unaware samurai. One, then two, then three samurai fell under his blade before they even realized he was there. The last two drew their swords but were too slow for Ashitaka's swift blade. The first wound up having his head removed by a quick sideswipe from the young warrior before his sword was even halfway out of its sheath. Then the last remaining samurai finally drew out his katana and made one last attempt to kill the Imishi warrior. With his blade, Ashitaka parried the samurai's attack and moved in close and stabbed the man thru the torso. Using his foot, he pushed off the dead body and turned to face the last samurai.

Arrows were sticking out of his body from two places and he looked to be on his last breath, but still he looked as terrifying as he would have to any other man.

"You killed my men you little brat!" the samurai cried. "Now I will finish what I started." He made his final charge towards Ashitaka, his bloodied katana gleaming in the little light provided by the canopy over head. Ashitaka stood and waited for the Charging samurai to make the first move. When the man swung his sword, Ashitaka ducked and rolled underneath the blow. Once behind the samurai, Ashitaka swung his blade at the samurai's exposed calf. The blow severed the tendon in his leg and the samurai fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

Ashitaka stood up and ran to where Reno lay.

"Can you still walk?"

"Barely," growled the wolf as he slowly rose to his feet. He started to walk away, cradling his wounded right leg as he stumbled along.

As Ashitaka started to walk away, the samurai lying on the ground managed to cry out to him.

"Why are you walking away? Finish me!"

"No, I won't kill anyone else today," said Ashitaka calmly. 'To much blood has been spilled on my account today,' he thought as he looked down at his right arm. 'The burning has stooped, for now, but I don't want to look to see if the mark has returned. If it has today, I wouldn't be surprised.'

"You little bastard! So you'll leave me to die! You are nothing but a coward."

"No, I leave you to finish what's left of your life." With said, Ashitaka walked away until the cries and curses of the wounded samurai could no longer be heard.

**Well that one took a while. Sorry about the delay folks, work has had me doing all sorts of stuff the last two months. At least my checks while make me smile. Don't expect a nother up date within the next month though, my over time ain't done yet. But in the meantime, listen to some Pantera while you wait. I suggest Cowboys from HELL. Peace.**

**P.S. I'm the juggernaut, BITCH!**


	6. Chapter 5

"**And now opening for Iron Maiden, The Wyld Stalyons!"**

**Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey**

**I would like to take the time and thank Shelter for the review, It has been the best I have gotten so far. Well now I've taken your advice and slowed down. These following chapters will be much longer. Hope you all like it. And of course, Please leave a review.**

**The Evil that Men Do**

Walking along the trail back to wolf den, Ashitaka wondered if Rude was going to make it. He had received two arrow wounds and was sliced in the leg by that samurai. Most creatures in this land would have already perished, but not this one. Just like her human sister, Rude was extremely stubborn.

The two of them had been walking back towards the den for a while now, and they hadn't been making very good time. Now, the sun was beginning to set.

Ashitaka wanted to tend to the wolf's wounds, but Rude would only growl at him every time he got near his wounds. Instead of trying to convince him earlier, Ashitaka stayed silent but hated watching the great animal wince and growl in pain after every step. Now, Rude stopped to take a moment and rest. Ashitaka saw this as his best opportunity to help the stubborn wolf and made his way in front of the wolf so that he won't look away.

"Your wounds are too much of a problem to ignore. If you leave them to bleed you will surely die from them."

"_Listen to me boy, I have lived for over a hundred years, and I have suffered far worse injuries than this." _Rude was lying. He knew full well that his injuries would most likely kill him if they were not treated soon. Still, he refused to accept the help of this human.

It was not the fact that he didn't want his help, but the fact that if he failed to help the wolf, San would more than likely blame Ashitaka for the death of her brother. San would more than likely kill this human if she believed he was the cause of the death for another one of her family members. If they could make it back to the cave before he passed on, then Rude could explain to San and Reno that it was not this human's fault, but his own. '_It was a stupid move for me to charge that human. He was waiting for me to do that.'_

"You have to let me help you or you will die. Don't try to be the proud wolf for once and let me help you," pleaded Ashitaka.

"_Silence boy and do not assume my intentions,"_ growled Rude menacingly. _"What can you possibly do for me at this point in time? The only being that could have saved my life was the forest spirit and he is gone now. What can you expect to do for me?"_

"At least let me clean and bandage your wounds. Besides you won't make it much farther with that gash in your leg."

"_Fine,"_ said the wolf. _'Maybe if I let him help me, it will buy more time for San and Reno to find me.'_

"Good," said Ashitaka. He looked around the forest and looked back to Rude. "Do you know of any water nearby?"

"_Yes, There is a stream nearby_," he said, pointing his nose to the north._ "That way."_

Carefully, the two made their way down the hill that led to the stream. When they got there, Ashitaka took off his shirt he got from Keno and dipped it on the water. Then carefully, he began to wash to sword wound in his side.

The wound was still bleeding slightly, but Rude had already lost much blood, and would've lost much more if they continued without treating his wounds.

Rude growled as the ragged shirt slowly removed all of the dirt from the gash in his side. When he was done, Ashitaka stepped back and pulled some grounded up herbs from his little red pouch and spread the contents over the wound. Rude winced but made no sound as the medicine was placed over the wound.

"_What is that for?"_

""It is to help prevent infection so you won't die," responded Ashitaka. After the herbal paste was applied, Ashitaka removed his sleeves and tied both together. Using the makeshift bandage, Ashitaka tied the cloth carefully over the wound.

"_I see the mark didn't return during the battle," _stated the wolf, staring at the boy's now bare arms.

Ashitaka gasped and held his arm up to the failing light. The only trace of the mark that had nearly killed him was a few blotches of purple that remained after the Forest Spirit had fallen.

"I'm not sure what it had meant, but when I drew my first arrow to fire at those samurai, it started to burn. I was afraid that fighting the samurai would make the mark return." Ashitaka turned to watch the sun finish setting into the west.

"_Then why did you fight? If you were afraid to bring back the mark, then why did you fight those other humans?"_ asked Rude.

"I could not let anything happen to San. That fact outweighed any fear I had for my own well being." He looked back over to the wolf. "I think we should return to your den. She will be waiting for you."

The wolf nodded at Ashitaka and the two made their way up the rock face back to the Moro tribe's den.

**Trust**

'Where are they,' thought San as she stood on the ledge in front of her cave. 'It has been hours since we separated at the edge of the forest.'

"_You shouldn't worry about them so much," _growled Reno. _"Rude wouldn't have come back until he was sure that those other humans wouldn't be able to follow him. More than likely he is on his way."_

"Still I worry."

"_About the human, correct?"_

"No!" she yelled. 'But I am worrying about him,' she thought as she looked away from her brother.

"_I have to admit, you are very strong, and will soon be strong enough to defeat me one day in wrestling," _joked Reno._ "But ever since that boy showed up into this forest you haven't been the same."_ As he spoke, San's gaze never left the view of the forest. _"You are a member of the wolf tribe, and always will be. However," _he paused. Reno knew that he had to approach this subject carefully as to not upset his sister. _"You are human, and this, Ashitaka, is the first real human you have gotten to know. Every other human that you have met has either tried to kill you or ran away in fear of you. I guess, it's only natural if you feel like you want to know more about him." _He finished talking and resumed his resting on the floor of the cave. As soon as he laid his head down onto the ground, he stood back up at attention and began sniffing at the air. As the wolf did this San also seemed more alert.

"Blood is in the air," she said as she ran back inside the cave to grab her spear. "Come on Reno."

"_Its coming from the cliff," _growled Reno_. "Get on, San."_

His sister complied and hopped onto her brothers back as she donned her headdress once again to find out where the smell was coming from.

It was only a few moments of running before the two came to the trail that the wolves usually took up to their den. As soon as San looked down towards the bottom, her heart filled with relief, and anger.

"Ashitaka, Reno, what happened? Reno, you're hurt!" She cried, looking at her wolf brother's wound.

"_Don't worry about it," _he growled._ "Ashitaka treated it and it is much better."_

She looked over to the now near bare warrior. She blushed slightly as she looked down at him.

"Are you alright?" she managed to say after a few awkward moments of silence.

Shocked by this sudden concern for him, Ashitaka didn't know what to say to her. Quickly, he mustered up the courage to reply. "Yes, I'm fine," he said, careful not to reveal too much appreciation for her asking.

"What happened, Ashitaka? None of this makes any sense. First, those humans chased after us and injured my brother. Then, as soon as they saw you, they wouldn't let you get away without trying to kill you. Tell me what this is all about?" The last few words were said with enough force to make Ashitaka not want to say anything at all.

"I don't know why that those men were after me; only that I was their original target. They probably only meant to use you as bait to lure me out. I guess that it worked."

'Why would those humans use _me _to lure him out? There is no possible way that they could know anything about me or of my involvement with Ashitaka,' she thought.

Then his eyes filled with fear as he realized a horror that he did not realize. "They may have tried to attack Iron town I have to go back.

She looked over to Ashitaka, her eyes filled with anger.

"I see. All you care about are the humans in that wretched town. Why are you here trying to protect me if you can't choose sides? This is all your fault!" she yelled. "My brother wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for you. All you humans are the same. You destroy everything that is around you. Go back to that horrid woman of yours that you care about so much.""

"San, I…" tried Ashitaka to interject but was cut off by San.

"Don't try to trick me with your words human, none of this would have happened if it was not for you. To think that I could ever trust you," she growled, lowering her spear.

Those last few words did more damage than any sword or arrow could have done to him. Broken, Ashitaka turned and began sprinting back to Iron town.

As soon as he was out of sight, San ran back to her cave with her brothers.

"Reno let me see your wound," said San as she made her way over to her bloodied brother. After removing Ashitaka clothes from her brother's wound, she realized that she had made a mistake.

'Ever since I met him, I have been looking for a reason to hate him' she thought. Still, even though of all the events that we have been through, he has only tried to help everyone. He even took care of Reno when he was wounded and probably saved his life.'

"_San you were wrong to blame him," _Reno said in the softest voice he had ever used._ "He has done everything in his power to help us and what you don't realize that he left the safety of the town to protect you. He cares for you, San."_

"I'm so confused. I don't know what to do," she said as she looked out towards the forest.

**At least I'm not dead**

'I hope someone guts that little bastard for what he's done to me,' thought Tojiro as he wandered aimlessly through the forest. He had been walking since it was still before the sun set and now he was still moving as dawn neared.

'How could he leave me to die like that? Well, now I might as well be dead.' Lost in his thoughts, Tojiro didn't notice the root sticking out of the ground in front of him. His uninjured leg caught the root and he fell flat onto his face, crying out in pain.

"Damn it!" The wound he had received had severed the tendon in his right leg making it almost impossible to walk. However, Tojiro's stubbornness would not allow him to simply surrender his life to the animals in this forest and he strapped a thick branch from the bottom of his ankle to just above the knee. This makeshift brace allowed him to at least stand while he used his sword to put most of his weight on. Now this was the third time that he had fallen.Now he lay on the ground, struggling to remain concious. He gave in for a moment to rest and his eyes began to close.

In his mind, thoughts of his past began to flash through his mind. He went back to the day he was set on the path that brought him to where he was at now, long before he came to these mountains.

Tojiro was now, in his own mind, in the middle of a grassy plain with a much older man, with no trees, animals or people within sight. Tojiro looked to be about eighteen and his beard was just beginning to grow in. Both him and the other man had Bokken Katanas in their hands and were in the middle of a sparing match.

"Tojiro, you're being too defensive," said the larger man, swinging a downward stroke that connected with Tojiro's bokken.

"That is because I am bidding my time against you, father," responded the young man. "I have yet to land a blow on you in all of our matches, but today I think that I will be successful in my goal."

"Heh, you won't ever land a strike on me if you don't attack!" cried his father as he charged at Tojiro, swinging his wooden sword at his son. Tojiro blocked his three strikes and then suddenly, without warning, Tojiro deflected the fourth attack and rushed in close to his father, placing the edge of the weapon onto his throat. His father was taken aback as he realized that his son had bested him in combat.

"It took me twelve years to realize that you always over swing with your fourth strike when you use that attack form," smiled Tojiro, as he knew that he won the match.

"Really? I had never noticed because you never could defend it before," responded his father smiling back. Tojiro removed the bokken and took a few steps back. When both men were a few feet apart, they took their bows, ending the session for the day.

"Before we return to the army, I think that we should rest for a few moments."

"Yes, I agree," responded Tojiro, chuckling. Both men knelt down to the ground facing each other.

"Tojiro," began the older warrior. Tojiro looked into his father's eyes, ready to listen to his father's words. "For twelve years now I have trained you how to fight, how to choose your battles, how to survive. I have done my best to raise you as an honorable man and I have taught you everything that I know except one thing."

"What would that be father?" asked Tojiro.

"_Why_ to fight," said his father.

'What does he mean why to fight,' Tojiro thought to himself as a puzzled look began to form on his face. 'We are samurai, why else do we need a reason? We fight because we are samurai and that we must keep our honor and serve our lord.'

"The reason that we are so far from our home village is because we have a job to do. This warlord pays us to lead samurai into battle to fight for him, to gain him land, and wealth."

'Still, if we are fighting for someone's greed then how do we keep our honor?' Tojiro wanted to voice his opinion but knew it was not the best of ideas to interrupt his father.

"All of these things aren't why we fight but merely why we are here, in this land. The true reason is that we hope to achieve peace though conquest. As long as Warlords like this one exist, there will always be battles but – " paused his father as he pointed towards Tojiro, then himself. "If men such as us exist, then the balance will be maintained."

The puzzled look on Tojiro's face was even more noticeable as his father reached this point of his speech. His father must have seen this and chuckled to himself.

"We are here to fight, and if there are battles to be won, there can be only one victor. When that happens, there will be no more battles and no more need for men like us."

"But father," asked Tojiro. He could take no more listening to this without an answer to this question. "Why do we then prepare for war and train every waking moment of our days to fight, and kill?"

"Because Tojiro, war is not what is best for the land. When there is one ruler here in Japan, the fighting will cease, for a time, and people will be able to seek the oneness with their surroundings and with their fellow man and live out their lives in peace. We may not get to see this future, but it is our destiny and even when I die I will do so with a passion," he paused again, this time to wipe a tear that had formed on his cheek.

Tojiro was stunned. He had never before seen his father shed a tear, be it in pain or sadness.

"When your mother died," he started. "I decided not to marry another because I chose to put all of my heart and soul into you so that one day, you will be able to bring peace to this world. I believe that you will do so, even if it may seem too small a deed in your eyes. You and I are the last of our family line. I am nearing my fiftieth year of life and none in our family have lived past that mark. When I die you will be all that survives of me. What I have told you today will become your destiny to fulfill, and I know that you will make me proud. Do you understand what I have told you today?"

Tojiro nodded his head in agreement. Even though there were still a few things his father said that were unclear to him.

"Good. We shall return to the camp now and get some rest. We will need it for tomorrow." With that both men stood from their kneeling position and began to make it across the field back to there camp.

"Why will we need our rest tonight father?" asked Tojiro.

"Tomorrow, we ride into battle."

Back in reality, Tojiro opened his eyes once more. He realized that he was no longer reliving the day before his father died in battle.

'My father did everything that he could to make me a man,' he thought. The last living image of his father lingered in his mind. That image was his father diving in front of Tojiro, taking a sword in the stomach. 'So I won't let him down.'

Tojiro first stuck his sword into the ground and began the difficult task smile on my face knowing that everything he did wasn't for _himself._ He paused of rising back to his feet. Grunting with pain, Tojiro used his battered arms and his one good leg to stand himself back onto his feet. 'My death will be one that I can be proud of, one that I can smile at.'

With that he began to hobble along the trails through the forest once again.

At least an hour had passed before Tojiro realized that he had no idea where exactly he was, and in this area of the forest, he was beginning to feel uneasy. The only good thing that he had to his advantage was that dawn was approaching. The highlights of the sun where beginning to reveal themselves.

'This area must have been close to where the Nightwalker had risen, the damage to the trees is the most here,' he thought as he looked around. He continued hobbling along until he reached a large pool in the middle of the forest. He gazed across the pool to see probably the only portion untouched by the Nightwalker's wrath, a small island in the center of the pool.

Tojiro gazed in awe as his eyes came across two large skeletons of animal gods. The skeletons lay near one another and Tojiro decided that he wanted to take a closer look.

'This one resembles a boar,' he thought to himself. 'And this one looks like the body of a wolf.' Pivoting on his good leg he looked around the skeleton until he saw the head of the wolf.

'How did it get over there?'

As he completed his last thought, the first rays of light began to peek their way through the mountains to the east.

"Good, it's dawn."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Tojiro regretted breaking the silence. As if it was a sin to speak, the wind suddenly picked up. The force of the winds was almost enough to knock Tojiro off of his feet. To keep himself from falling back, Tojiro stuck his katana deep into the ground and planted his feet.

'What devilry is this?' thought the wounded samurai as he watched what was left of the trees around the pool be thrown around.

Then suddenly, without warning, a blinding flash of light filled the area and Tojiro was knocked onto his back. He grunted in pain as he the ground. Still shocked and left in awe by the flash, Tojiro tried to sit up and he leaned his back against the nearest tree. He rubbed his eyes and tried to force his eyes to regain their sight. The flash had left him seeing nothing but spots. When his eyesight had returned to normal, he saw something that he did not expect. Standing in the center of where the great flash of light had emanated from, was a creature that Tojiro had never seen before, but he knew what it was.

"The Shishi-Gami," he whispered, as to not offend the great being. 'It's impossible, I watched the Nightwalker fall onto the town and disappear,' he thought. 'How can it be here, now, in its daytime form?'

The great creature was staring directly at Tojiro from its place on the island since the samurai had noticed that it was there. Then, it began to make its way across the pool, stepping lightly on top of the six-foot deep water. Slowly and deliberately, it made its way towards the human.

Frantically, Tojiro tried to stand, to try to defend himself from the forest god, but it was to no avail. The wounds he had suffered in the battle made him unable to stand at this point. Before he knew it, the great creature stood no more than a few feet from the human.

Tojiro locked eyes with the creature, to show that he had no fear of his enemy and that he was ready to die. At this distance Tojiro could clearly see the face of this great being. To him, the Forest spirit didn't seem to be that fearful when compared to the other creatures of the forest. If he really didn't understand what this creature really was, he might of rather have fought this animal than the wolves from yesterday. However, Tojiro knew what this creature could do. It almost seemed to be smiling at him.

It trotted closer to him, moving with its deer like legs and making grass and flowers grow around its footsteps. It examined the human for a moment, as if curious to what it was. Tojiro was confused as to why it did not appear hostile towards him. He thought that the forest and humans didn't like each other at all. Then the great beast looked at the wound in his chest, the one from the Emishi warrior's arrow. It then placed its mouth over the area over the wound…

The pain was too much for Tojiro, as he only cried out for a moment, and then blackness overtook him.

It was an unknown amount of hours before life began to stir in the warrior once again.

"What happened?" mumbled Tojiro. He rubbed the sleepiness from his eyes and slowly began to stand. "Wait a moment," he cried as he looked down to the ground. "I'm standing?" he asked himself and then cried, "I can stand!"

Quickly he removed his armor over his chest and examined the areas where he was struck by the Emishi's arrows.

'Healed,' he thought as he looked over his chest. 'The forest spirit spared my life, but why?' The answer to this question would have to wait as thirst that had over taken him. He made a quick sprint over to the pool where he had seen the Spirit emerge from and threw his head into the water. He quickly took a few gulps before his eyes once again fell onto that island.

He stood up and faced the island, and then took a long and deep bow. 'I now see what I must do,' he thought as he stood straight. He walked over to where his sword lay, picked it up and walked back to the edge of the pool. "I can no longer be a samurai," he said as he raised the sword. He then grabbed his topknot and used his sword to cut his hair. After he was done, he tossed the lock of hair onto the edge of the pool.

"Thank you," he said as he stood up, his gaze never leaving the island. Although he could not see anything, he felt that there was something there, watching him. Although he was not sure, a feeling in the pit of his stomach told him that going this way would lead him to where he must go, back to Tataraba.

**The path that we walk the most**

He had been walking along this path since he left San's cave. The sun was beginning to rise over the eastern mountains as he jogged along the path back to Iron town. He had been running for hours and now he could see his destination. His lungs burning, he slowed to a swift walk. As he stood atop the hill overlooking Tataraba, he looked over the town, looking to see if there was any sign of attack. To his relief, the wrecked little town showed no sign of any. Now, slowly, Ashitaka made his way down the hill.

'It's sort of amusing,' he thought to himself. 'But almost two days ago I was taking this same path back to Iron Town. While I was walking this path, I was doing something different. The other day I was wondering if San and I could possibly be together. Now, I have the answer,' he thought, looking downat his sword. 'At least she retirned this to me.'

As he neared the gate he could see that the only people awake were the half-asleep guards at the makeshift palisade. The two guards didn't notice Ashitaka until he was crossing the log that was being used as a temporary bridge.

"Halt, who goes there?" said one of the sleepy guards. "Ha, I should have known it was you."

"Keno it's good to see you. Don't worry, I'm fine," said Ashitaka before Keno could ask any questions. "I apologize, but I lost the shirt that you gave me," he said chuckling.

"Don't worry about it, as long as you put it to good use," Keno laughed back as he patted Ashitaka on the shoulder. Ashitaka grunted in slight pain as the large man's hands struck a tender spot on his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry. Sasuke! Keep watch for a moment while I get our friend a place to rest," he called. "Ashitaka follow me."

They walked for a few silent moments before they reached a small hut on the edge of town.

"Go inside and take a load off. As soon as someone wakes up the whole town will want to see you and you won't get any rest and by the look of you, you really need it."

He was right, Ashitaka was extremely tired from the events of this week had left him exhausted. Really the last time he had any sleep was his last night in San's cave when he was recovering from his bullet wound.

"Remember, anything here is yours to use. I have to return to the gate until I am relieved, so stay here until I come back."

"Thank you," said Ashitaka, taking a deep bow.

Keno nodded in return.

'Now its time to rest,' Ashitaka thought as he lay down onto the bed.

Suddenly, the sound of a bell woke Ashitaka from his deep slumber.

Wondering what was happening Ashitaka ran out of the hut to see what was going on. Near by to where Keno's hut resided, there was the last tower that was in Tataraba. Ashitaka ran to the last remaining tower in Iron Town to see why the bell was being rung. Quickly he climbed up the tower and asked the guard what was happening.

"Why is the bell being run? Is there another samurai attack?"

"No," responded the guard. "It's one man, but he looks like a samurai." Ashitaka strained his eyes to see the man who was walking up towards the town.

"It can't be," he whispered, careful not to draw the guards attention.

Walking towards the main entrance, was the samurai that Ashitaka had left to die in the forest.

**Well now I think I have found my groove. I am proud of this chapter, I think I might be one of the best ones that I am gonna write. Review plz, so I don't think that people are just looking at my story and not reading it.**


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